Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab’s chief minister, issued an unusual and interesting statement on the World Mother Language Day, observed in all parts of the world including Pakistan on February 21. He said that language is of great importance, as it defines the identity of a nation.
The chief executive of the biggest province of Pakistan stated that the mother language is recognised as a preserver of civilizations, culture and national identity. Every word and idiom of a mother language is rich in national traditions, mental and spiritual experiences and an effective source of survival and promotion of cultural heritage.
The chief minister said that language creates awareness about the linguistic and cultural traditions all over the world. He admitted that education given in the mother tongue has a positive impact on the mental development of youth.
Of course, everyone concerned would agree to what the chief minister said in his statement. But does he himself believe in his assertions, is a valid question here. Did he give Punjabis their identity, or made any efforts in this direction, during his current and previous tenures in power in the Punjab province? His party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has ruled the Punjab for over 13 years (1990-1993, 1997-1999, 2008-2013, and 2013-2016) since its genesis in 1988.
Three more years, from 1985 to 1988, may also be added to the PML-N rule, as the incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif remained chief minister of the Punjab province during that period, under General Ziaul Haq. Though the rule was not continuous, yet 16 years are a long period of time for making laws and implementing them “to give the Punjabis an identity”.
In Lahore and some other cities of the Punjab, activists, students, teachers and members of civil society organized rallies on the International Mother Language Day. They were demanding giving the people of Punjab their constitutional right — an education in their mother language, Punjabi.
Ahmad Raza, president of Punjabi Parchar — a small organization working for promotion of the Punjabi language in the province, alleges that the chief minister’s statement is hypocritical. Talking to Cutting Edge outside the Lahore Press Club during a demonstration, Mr. Raza said that the ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N had never done anything for the promotion of the Punjabi language, despite being in power for decades.
“What [Shahbaz Sharif] has he ever done to give Punjabis their identity,” asks the activist. He believes that the provincial government is deliberately depriving the children of Punjab their right to education in their mother language.
Article 251 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan binds the provinces to adopt necessary measures for promotion, teaching and usage of regional languages. Tariq Jatala, general secretary of the Punjabi Parchar, says that after passage of the 18th Amendment, it is the responsibility of the provinces to implement this right. But the Shahbaz Sharif-led Punjab government has been committing its violation for long, Jatala tells Cutting Edge at the rally.
Educationists believe giving an education to children in their mother language is the best method of teaching, especially children of less than 10 years of age. A new study titled Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2016, conducted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), also recommended the use of mother language during teaching for at least six years of early learning to boost academic performance.
The report, released on February 19, says that teaching children in “a language other than their own” negatively impacts their learning. The policy paper states, “If you cannot understand, how can you learn.”Learning is slow if teaching is conducted in a language other than the one used at home by children.
According to the report, children brought up in homes across the country primarily speak the regional language of their province. Whether its Pashto, Punjabi, Sindhi or Balochi, the moment these children step into schools, they are expected to learn two new languages immediately. Not only that, but their entire thought process is suddenly supposed to fit one of the new languages, as the medium of instruction is either English or Urdu.
Educationists believe that a child that speaks a regional language at home cannot be expected to compete with students that have been brought up in homes that speak one of the national languages. The whole system is skewed against the majority of students and it is no wonder that the dropout rate is as high as it is in the country; a language a student does not fully understand is only likely to alienate him/her.
The report also seconds fears of the Punjabi activists that sheer neglect on the part of the government as well as the Punjabi speaking people would result in extinction of the Punjabi language in Pakistan one day. The report says that more than 50% of about 7,000 languages, spoken in the world, are likely to die out within a few generations. 6,720 of these languages are spoken by a mere 4% or 296 million people of the world. “Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world,” adds the UNESCO report.
The report findings show that learning improves in countries that have invested in bilingual programmes. In Guatemala, students in bilingual schools have lower repetition and dropout rates. They also have higher scores in all subject areas. Children in Ethiopia who participated in bilingual programmes for eight years improved their learning in subjects across the curriculum, says the document.
The report expresses concerns that countries with colonial histories often find that shifting to bilingual education is complicated, as can be seen in many Latin American contexts that continue to use Portuguese, or Spanish, or in many Francophone African countries, where French remains the predominant language of instruction.
The report explains that in multi-ethnic societies, including Turkey, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Guatemala, imposing a dominant language through a school system has frequently been a source of grievance linked to wider issues of social and cultural inequality.
According to the UNESCO recommendations, at least six years of mother tongue instruction is needed so that gains from teaching in the mother tongue in the early years are sustained; education policies should recognise the importance of mother tongue learning. A review of 40 countries’ education plans finds that only less than half of them recognise the importance of teaching children in their native language, particularly in early grades.
Also, teachers need to be trained to teach in two languages and to understand the needs of second-language learners. Teachers are rarely prepared for the reality of bilingual classrooms, including with inclusive teaching materials and appropriate assessment strategies. UNESCO's Education 2030 Framework for Action, a roadmap to implement the 2030 Agenda, encourages full respect for the use of the mother language in teaching and learning, and the promotion and preservation of linguistic diversity.
Diep Saeeda, a Punjabi language supporter and social worker, however, says that only the government authorities could not be blamed for the deteriorating situation in Punjab. Talking to Cutting Edge at a conference in Lahore, she says that Punjabi, the language of the majority province, is dying rapidly, but neither the government nor the Punjabis themselves are bothered about it.
Ms. Diep regrets that Punjabi families are willingly giving up the language of their forefathers. They feel proud to speak Urdu with their children as the education system prevalent in Punjab promotes only Urdu and completely ignores Punjabi. She says that Punjabi Saiwak (promoters) are not against the learning of other languages, but Punjabi should be the first priority for the people of the Punjab. Learning Urdu and English can be additional feathers in their caps, she adds.
The Punjabi language activist believes that the mother language is an important cultural tool to mould a child. Punjabi is the language of variety and cultural depth. To keep our children away from our long cultural and social history means to disobey the law of nature, she claims.
Ms. Diep notes with regret that the Muslim Punjabis are not conscious of their mother language. Exploiters wish to see the Punjabis a dumb and quiescent nation so that this uprooted group of people could be easily abused in the name of religion and ethnicity, she explains. She says that the Punjabis are not walking the talk. On the one hand, we are celebrating Mother Language Day, and on the other hand killing our mother tongue, Punjabi.
She says that the Punjab government authorities, especially Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, should allow Punjabis their identity by introducing an education system, from primary to graduation, in the Punjabi language in all educational institutions of the province. Also, she adds, Punjabis should not shy away from speaking their mother language not only in their daily life but also with their children, if they want to preserve this great language of 60% population of the country for future generations.
The chief executive of the biggest province of Pakistan stated that the mother language is recognised as a preserver of civilizations, culture and national identity. Every word and idiom of a mother language is rich in national traditions, mental and spiritual experiences and an effective source of survival and promotion of cultural heritage.
The chief minister said that language creates awareness about the linguistic and cultural traditions all over the world. He admitted that education given in the mother tongue has a positive impact on the mental development of youth.
Of course, everyone concerned would agree to what the chief minister said in his statement. But does he himself believe in his assertions, is a valid question here. Did he give Punjabis their identity, or made any efforts in this direction, during his current and previous tenures in power in the Punjab province? His party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has ruled the Punjab for over 13 years (1990-1993, 1997-1999, 2008-2013, and 2013-2016) since its genesis in 1988.
Three more years, from 1985 to 1988, may also be added to the PML-N rule, as the incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif remained chief minister of the Punjab province during that period, under General Ziaul Haq. Though the rule was not continuous, yet 16 years are a long period of time for making laws and implementing them “to give the Punjabis an identity”.
In Lahore and some other cities of the Punjab, activists, students, teachers and members of civil society organized rallies on the International Mother Language Day. They were demanding giving the people of Punjab their constitutional right — an education in their mother language, Punjabi.
Ahmad Raza, president of Punjabi Parchar — a small organization working for promotion of the Punjabi language in the province, alleges that the chief minister’s statement is hypocritical. Talking to Cutting Edge outside the Lahore Press Club during a demonstration, Mr. Raza said that the ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N had never done anything for the promotion of the Punjabi language, despite being in power for decades.
“What [Shahbaz Sharif] has he ever done to give Punjabis their identity,” asks the activist. He believes that the provincial government is deliberately depriving the children of Punjab their right to education in their mother language.
Article 251 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan binds the provinces to adopt necessary measures for promotion, teaching and usage of regional languages. Tariq Jatala, general secretary of the Punjabi Parchar, says that after passage of the 18th Amendment, it is the responsibility of the provinces to implement this right. But the Shahbaz Sharif-led Punjab government has been committing its violation for long, Jatala tells Cutting Edge at the rally.
Educationists believe giving an education to children in their mother language is the best method of teaching, especially children of less than 10 years of age. A new study titled Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2016, conducted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), also recommended the use of mother language during teaching for at least six years of early learning to boost academic performance.
The report, released on February 19, says that teaching children in “a language other than their own” negatively impacts their learning. The policy paper states, “If you cannot understand, how can you learn.”Learning is slow if teaching is conducted in a language other than the one used at home by children.
According to the report, children brought up in homes across the country primarily speak the regional language of their province. Whether its Pashto, Punjabi, Sindhi or Balochi, the moment these children step into schools, they are expected to learn two new languages immediately. Not only that, but their entire thought process is suddenly supposed to fit one of the new languages, as the medium of instruction is either English or Urdu.
Educationists believe that a child that speaks a regional language at home cannot be expected to compete with students that have been brought up in homes that speak one of the national languages. The whole system is skewed against the majority of students and it is no wonder that the dropout rate is as high as it is in the country; a language a student does not fully understand is only likely to alienate him/her.
The report also seconds fears of the Punjabi activists that sheer neglect on the part of the government as well as the Punjabi speaking people would result in extinction of the Punjabi language in Pakistan one day. The report says that more than 50% of about 7,000 languages, spoken in the world, are likely to die out within a few generations. 6,720 of these languages are spoken by a mere 4% or 296 million people of the world. “Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world,” adds the UNESCO report.
The report findings show that learning improves in countries that have invested in bilingual programmes. In Guatemala, students in bilingual schools have lower repetition and dropout rates. They also have higher scores in all subject areas. Children in Ethiopia who participated in bilingual programmes for eight years improved their learning in subjects across the curriculum, says the document.
The report expresses concerns that countries with colonial histories often find that shifting to bilingual education is complicated, as can be seen in many Latin American contexts that continue to use Portuguese, or Spanish, or in many Francophone African countries, where French remains the predominant language of instruction.
The report explains that in multi-ethnic societies, including Turkey, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Guatemala, imposing a dominant language through a school system has frequently been a source of grievance linked to wider issues of social and cultural inequality.
According to the UNESCO recommendations, at least six years of mother tongue instruction is needed so that gains from teaching in the mother tongue in the early years are sustained; education policies should recognise the importance of mother tongue learning. A review of 40 countries’ education plans finds that only less than half of them recognise the importance of teaching children in their native language, particularly in early grades.
Also, teachers need to be trained to teach in two languages and to understand the needs of second-language learners. Teachers are rarely prepared for the reality of bilingual classrooms, including with inclusive teaching materials and appropriate assessment strategies. UNESCO's Education 2030 Framework for Action, a roadmap to implement the 2030 Agenda, encourages full respect for the use of the mother language in teaching and learning, and the promotion and preservation of linguistic diversity.
Diep Saeeda, a Punjabi language supporter and social worker, however, says that only the government authorities could not be blamed for the deteriorating situation in Punjab. Talking to Cutting Edge at a conference in Lahore, she says that Punjabi, the language of the majority province, is dying rapidly, but neither the government nor the Punjabis themselves are bothered about it.
Ms. Diep regrets that Punjabi families are willingly giving up the language of their forefathers. They feel proud to speak Urdu with their children as the education system prevalent in Punjab promotes only Urdu and completely ignores Punjabi. She says that Punjabi Saiwak (promoters) are not against the learning of other languages, but Punjabi should be the first priority for the people of the Punjab. Learning Urdu and English can be additional feathers in their caps, she adds.
The Punjabi language activist believes that the mother language is an important cultural tool to mould a child. Punjabi is the language of variety and cultural depth. To keep our children away from our long cultural and social history means to disobey the law of nature, she claims.
Ms. Diep notes with regret that the Muslim Punjabis are not conscious of their mother language. Exploiters wish to see the Punjabis a dumb and quiescent nation so that this uprooted group of people could be easily abused in the name of religion and ethnicity, she explains. She says that the Punjabis are not walking the talk. On the one hand, we are celebrating Mother Language Day, and on the other hand killing our mother tongue, Punjabi.
She says that the Punjab government authorities, especially Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, should allow Punjabis their identity by introducing an education system, from primary to graduation, in the Punjabi language in all educational institutions of the province. Also, she adds, Punjabis should not shy away from speaking their mother language not only in their daily life but also with their children, if they want to preserve this great language of 60% population of the country for future generations.
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